Shine on, you crazy diamond

Inco is alone and the sky is dark. One by one the suns have gone out and only the mysterious Corporation seems to know why.

Adrift on his tiny planet, Inco meets Helios - the last living sun - and their quest to relight the skies begins.

All moody silhouettes and ethereal melodies, Incoboto exudes the kind of wistful ambience that only small independent games seem able to achieve these days.

It's both gentle platformer and fiendish puzzler, rich with atmosphere and a beguiling sense of discovery as Inco and Helios journey to the very ends of the galaxy.

Trip the light fantastic

Structurally, each stage is presented as a manageable huddle of planets, each which its own mysteries to solve in order to gather enough Sun Pieces to reopen Sun Gates and travel further into the unknown.

At first, you'll simply be pushing buttons to breathe life into aging machines. But before long you're juggling orbs, riding beams, grappling, and even focusing Helios's rays in a bid to reawaken the galaxy.

They're familiar tropes, for sure, but it's the masterful way these elements are combined to form consistently inventive tests of lateral thinking that impresses as frequently as it delights.

The sun'll come out tomorrow

Incoboto isn't afraid to offer a challenge, either, with later puzzles proving downright devious in their ingenuity.

Solutions are never more than a moment's inspiration away, though, and progress is rewarded with a genuine sense of accomplishment.

You're not completely without guidance, either - final desperate missives from The Corporation flicker across the screens of abandoned terminals and hints drift from the bones of adventurers before you. It's a subtle system that inches you onward without ever breaking Incoboto's haunting spell.

If there's any blemish on Incoboto's design, it's the occasional control issue. As puzzles increase in complexity - demanding speed and timing as well as smarts - Incoboto's unusual control setup can struggle to keep pace with the action.

Still, there's no doubting Incoboto's exceptional quality. It's intelligent, evocative, and - as the game draws to a close - strangely moving. It's an experience that's intimately enthralling while it lasts and one that lingers long after it's over.